Rajnagar: Turtle lovers can rejoice, as mass nesting of Olive Ridleys has begun at their biggest nesting ground, Gahirmatha in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.
Over 2.5 lakh Olive Ridley turtles laid eggs en masse on the beaches of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in the last three days. Sources at the Rajnagar Forest Range said this mass nesting phenomenon will continue for 2-3 more days.
As the weather is suitable, the turtles have started laying eggs in a 2.5 km radius around the beaches. Nesting of Olive Ridley turtles started on the beaches of Nasi-II island inside the sanctuary from Wednesday.
On an average, a turtle is laying 80-100 eggs inside a 3-4ft hole, the sources said.
Rajnagar district forest officer Bimal Prasanna Acharya and Gahirmatha additional forest conservator Sriramapada Arabinda Mishra are in charge of the protection of turtles.
The state government declared Gahirmatha a marine sanctuary in 1997.
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